Anyone put in a new steering shaft???

[reddog64]

I want to get rid of all the slop (as much as I can) in my steering... The guy at the place I called (dont remember the place, they were in a 4x mag i have) said it would eliminate alot, if not most of, the slop in my steering. The big tires still dont help but the worm out joint on the shaft is the main problem... I'm curious if anyone else has done this upgrade???

Um... yes officer I know it's too big...

 

[Burt4x4]

Yes I did, I put a Borgsen style Ujoint steering shaft in mine and I also adjusted the little allen screw on top of my box to take some more of the slop out! I love it but it does xfer allot of vibes to the steering wheel so I may buy a vibration dampner to put on it as well but thats another 65 to 80 bucks so......

72K5

Led Zeppelin

Rock ON!

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[Grim-Reaper]

Uhhhhh Have no idea what your talking about...can you be more vague.
What causes loose steering in a lifted 4x4 are several things and a lot of them are just worn out parts.
Ball Joints.
Tie rod ends.
Loose box that can be adjusted by the Jam nut and allen bolt on the top of the box. (Should take no more than 1 turn)
Correct drag link angle
cracked or broken frame,
Loose U-Bolts
Wore out Rag joint (joint where steering wheel shaft meets box...$10 repair at most...part in help section of parts store and I think this might be what your talking about)
ORD brace.
Thg brace will make a big difference and well worth the $100. See Steves write up on the front page and I will say I agree 100% with him on the improvements. It makes so much of a difference I will probably add one to my wifes stock K5 if we keep it.

Diging it in the dirt with my K5's
Grim-Reaper
<A target="_blank" HREF=http://grimsk5s.coloradok5.com/>http://grimsk5s.coloradok5.com/</A>

 

[reddog64]

Grim
I'm talking about turning the weel a quarter turn before the wheels turn... really a pain to drive straight at times... no pull, nu bumpsteer, no vibrations... just slop...
It's a 78 with 35's 4 inch susp and 3 inch body... it's always been this way, the steering, even before the lift and tires...

Um... yes officer I know it's too big...

 

[Burt4x4]

I would start with the allen screw adjustment. But be careful not to tighten it too much as you will cause your box to run hot!
The main reason I droped 180 bucks on a new Ujoint style shaft is cuz I needed a longer than stock shaft and 'streaching' the stock one did work but man what a sceary thing if it was to fail so I tossed it and did it right.

Also Grim's thought about a thrashed rag joint should be checked too!

72K5

Led Zeppelin

Rock ON!

<A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.burt4x4.coloradok5.com>http://www.burt4x4.coloradok5.com</A>

 

[yeild2me]

first of all,,,make sure that that the two shafts slid apart when you installed your body lift...mine didnt, so it created slop in the joint at the fire wall...that joint is wider at the end than it is up where the shaft normally rides, so i had a LOT of slop....to fix it, i pulled out my steering shaft, drilled out the nylon inserts, and with a lerge screwdriver, beat it out...it should seperate quite a bit to make up for the body lift...extend it so that the little bearing things (sorry, dont know what they are called, but you will see them when you take it apart), ride all the way in the joint....i was totally amazed at the difference this made....while i was in there, i cleaned it all up and re-packed it with grease...go out and check it, you can tell by either a). the nylon inserts are still there...and b). the little boot for the joint is sticking out....

hope this helps!!

AIRBORNE!!

 

[DMK]

Did you check for play in your drag link? In my 87 you could turn the wheel 1/4 turn, drag link ends were worn out. Changed ends drives like new.

 

[Grim-Reaper]

Yeah that sounds right for the slow box with worn out parts. you want to see how much flex is in the frame watch the steering box while somebody turns the steering back and forth. The ORD brace will get rid of that. the rest is worn out parts or problems like the others have described.

Diging it in the dirt with my K5's
Grim-Reaper
<A target="_blank" HREF=http://grimsk5s.coloradok5.com/>http://grimsk5s.coloradok5.com/</A>